Grant S M, Johnson F
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Northern General Hospital Trust, Sheffield.
Dent Update. 1998 Jul-Aug;25(6):254-6.
Scuba diving is becoming more and more popular and dentists are increasingly likely to encounter patients with diving-related problems. Protruded mandibular positions and the biting forces exercised on the anterior occlusion during diving can cause pain and dysfunction, particularly where a predisposing factor such as bruxism exists. In this article, two cases are reported of patients with diving-exacerbated pain dysfunction syndrome, which improved following the construction of custom-made mouthpieces which distributed the forces more evenly. Laboratory procedures are described for construction of a custom-made scuba regulator mouthpiece that allows more comfortable diving.
